Outshine the Sun
by rosecleer
Summary: Linda is a kinda and caring girl, despite her flaming temper. After meeting and sticking up for the new boy at Whammys House, she decieds to be his protector, his best friend....and his sun. NearxLinda Mainly FLUFF! Updating every ten reveiws! o
1. Smile Like Sunlight

_**Summary:**_ Well...This story will take place over the entire series...from when Kira was around to the marvelous death of L. *sobs*

_**Disclaimer:**_I own NOTHING. Count your blessings I don't. xD I'd share with Renn Skye...then you'd all be doomed.

_**Pairing:**_This is a NearxLinda fic, though it is shown through fluffy goodness! xD

_**A/N:**_For those of you who don't know, Linda IS a real character in Death Note. She has one line in the manga and, though her artwork shows up in the anime, she does not. You don't remember her? Well..here's her line:

_**You should come outside and play with us, Near.**_

Yup. She's the little girl who asked Near to play with her in Near's debut appearance. When did her artworks how up?

She also just so happens to be the person who drew Near and Mello's pictures for the Kira Investigation, since they had not pictures. XD SHE IS USEFUL.

ANYWAYS! On to the Fic!

THE NAME OF THE FANFICTION: Alright, so on Gaiaonline, you meet some AMAZING people. One of the AMAZING people posted a title for someone to take and use. I took that title and made THIS fanfiction. So, thank you SOO much **Andromeda Zreng! You are EPIC AMOUNTS OF AMAZING!**

**_Outshine the Sun_**

"Linda-chan?"

Linda looked up from her breakfast plate and found herself staring into the deep pools of onix ink that were L's eyes. Jumping back in surprise, she stammered out.

"Y-Yes?"

"There is a new boy coming here today...." he stated, itching one of his ankles with the other and hitching his thumb under his teeth.

"You're going to give yourself an overbite," Linda scolded instantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

A few of the kids began snickering and mocking her motherly tone, before L hushed them with an odd look.

"I find Linda-chan's motherly attitude rather comforting," he said, tilting his head. The kids quieted down, looking rather embarrassed. Linda smiled in gratitude at L, who nodded in response. "Linda-chan is very kind...."

Linda raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious.

"Chan?" she looked up in thought before meeting his gaze once more. "Isn't that a Japanese suffix?"

"Yes...I have been studying Japan as of late...." L said, allowing his gaze to wander around the room.

"Oh?" Linda felt her eyebrow raise up another notch. "Is that what you do when you're supposed to be sleeping then?"

L shrugged and looked at her again.

"I seem to recall you suddenly deciding to call me _Mademoiselle_ once...then you took off to France...that wouldn't have anything to do with..?"

"Not at all," L waved his hand, looking aroud the room some more.

Linda didn't see what he was looking at. The walls were plain white, the chairs were white, the tables were white and the trays were stained glass...If she didn't know better (and she wasn't all that sure she didn't) she would have thought she had been sent to a mental institute instead of a orphanage.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he said, speaking once more. "Involving that new boy...? Something I believe only Linda-chan can do...."

Linda nodded, finding herself feeling rather honored. He thought there was something only she could do? She smiled, practically beaming with pride.

"Please," L continued. "When you see him...give him your biggest, sweetest smile...and say very kind things to him...."

Linda looked at L as if he was joking.

"You're serious?" she said, eyebrows raising again. "Really? Just smile and say a few nice things? That's the favor? Someone else could do that!"

L smiled mysteriously.

"But no one can do it like Linda-chan," he said softly, walking away. "Because Linda-chan outshines the sun...."

Linda felt her cheeks grow pink. He thought she outshone the sun? Blushing lightly, pleased with the compliments and detirmined to do her best to be nice to the boy, she looked back at her tray to finish her meal.....

....To discover that L had stolen her chocolate chip cookie.

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As Linda walked out of the mess hall (not having forgiven L for stealing her cookie yet), she found some of her sort-of-friends outside the rec room, whispering and giggling.

Linda had long ago learned that any giggling that came from that group of girls, no matter how innocent it sounded, was full of malice. And they never giggled...unless laughing at someone else. Knowing she should mind her own business, but just too curious to do so at the moment, Linda walked over to them, leaning against the hallway wall to listen to what they were saying.

"He's just so weird!" One of them (Ki-mi, if Linda remembered correctly) said, rolling her eyes.

"He's hair is SO unnatural! He's an albino, right?" Another one, whose name Linda could not recall. "SO CREEPY!"

"Have you even seen his eyes-"

"He doesn't talk either-"

Linda knew who they were talking about. The new boy.

"Hey!" She heard herself say, as she stepped forward.

All four girls turned to face her.

"Oh it's just you," one of them said, about to turn back around. "Look, Lin-_dork_, we don't have time to listen to-"

"No, you're gonna listen to me, girlie," Linda said, placing her hands firmly on her hips. The girl went to open her mouth before Linda cut her off with, "I don't care if this new boy has eight legs and a double head...you are NOT going to talk about him like that...Got it?'

Before any of the girls could respond, Linda turned around and strode into the Rec Room. To her dismay, Ki-mi's boyfriend followed her.

"Hey, Lindie," he began. "You really should be nicer to Ki-mi. She's under a lot of pressure and she-"

"Da," she said, sighing. When he looked at her in confusion, she rolled her eyes. "Lin...DA...Not Lindie...LinDA..."

"Right...well...Linda..." he started over, but something caught Linda's attention.

Sitting in the middle of the room, in front of the television that didn't even work, was the new boy.

Linda wasn't even listening to Ki-mi's boyyfriend anymore.

She was merely stared at the white haired boy in the center of the room. He resembled a sheep, in a funny sort of way, and sat crouched in front of the television set, surrounded by toys.

He stared at her with gray eyes...the widest she'd ever seen.

"Linda?" One of the boys asked her. "Did you hear me?"

"No," Linda replied, moving towards the boy on the floor.

_When you see him..._

She crouched down next to him...

_...give him your biggest, sweetest smile..._

...and smiled as bright as she could.

_...and say very kind things to him...._

"Hello," she said happily. "My name is Linda. I'd like to be your friend."

She extended her hand, which the boy took after several moments of deliberation. The handshake was quick, before he let go.

"I am Near," he said softly.

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So? What do you guys think? Reviewers will be LOVED to death and Flamers...well....I EAT FLAMES! So knock yourselves out! Constructive Crit. Welcome!


	2. Suspended Hourglass

_**A/N:**_ While I realize that this is a Near/Linda fic, I just can't see it going anywhere past fluff. Because, lets face it, we're already emotionally attatching Near to someone...which is difficult enough for him. XP

_**Dedications: **_This one is dedicated to Kanki Youji of course, and to ActionFry...MY FIRST REVIEWER EVER!!! ^o^

_**Chapter Summary:**_ Linda muses on her new friend and parts of her past are discussed! Mello and Near rivalry BEGINS! xD

_**Disclaimer:**_ I DO NOT OWN DEATH NOTE! *sob* Because if I did, you would see all this in the manga and anime, not on a fanfiction website! T.T And, again, I would share with Kanki Youji...and you would all be doomed. XD

_**THE BEYOND BIRTHDAY SCENE WAS WRITTEN BY KANKI YOUJI...SHE IS EPIC!!!!!**_

And you know what...I KNOW Neko is an OC...and I DON'T CARE!!! xDDD She's a character of Kanki Youji who I have been given permission to use and who we will see more of VERY soon, I promise! ^o^

But yes, Kanki Youji, I would TOTALLY share with you! That's what friends are for! ^o^

P.S: Spell and Grammar check this for me?

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The first thing Linda learned about Near was that he was quiet.

He very rarely spoke, and when he did, it was in a hushed voice, almost like he was planning a conspiracy, and only in sentences of two or three words.

The second was that he was intelligent.

On the morning of his second day there, Linda woke herself at eight, bade goodbye to her roommate and walked up to his room. It was two floors above hers. When she woke him up and explained to him the schedule of the day, he merely nodded. She could see his mind committing the daily schedule to memory.

He didn't need her help at all that day.

Because they were still under 18, they still attended classes at the house, almost like a boarding school. At ten thirty, they got a recess and most of the kids went outside. Some of them, like Linda, preferred the game room on cold days. Such as today.

She wandered the hallways, looking for Near. She had been with him when class was dismissed...but by the time she was outside the room...he was gone.

Turning a corner, she gasped at what she saw.

((KANKI WROTE THIS))

Like a giant, gangly human spider, B, second in line to be L, had himself draped over, on, and above Near, one long finger tracing down the boy's face, slowly stroking his cheek. The almost-albino sheep-child shuddered as the ice-cold finger made it's way up and down his face, and he let out a small whimper of fear as the older boy's free hand fluttered over his eyes, ghosting over the frozen open lids, brushing past his eyelashes and circling his ocular outlets with such care one might think them diamonds.

"N-san has such pretty eyes." Beyond cooed in a silky voice that gave Near the feeling of having a foreign person's blood coursing under his skin. "Lovely. So wide and black, reflecting everything, like a great mirror, only dark." B tilted his head jerkily so it and his neck nearly made a ninety degree angle as he continued to observe the quaking child pressed between the wall and himself. "I wonder… would N-san let B have his eyes?" the hand tracing around his eyes paused at the corner of Near's right one, claw like as if he was about to snatch the prize right from it's socket. "I'd give N-san my eyes in return. That's a good trade, right N-san? It's fair. So can I have them?"

Near was speechless, managing little more than a terrified shake of his head as his lips tried in vain to form words that would cause the boy to stop. Silence was all that fell from his milk-pale lips, as they parted and joined. Beyond's own lips formed a frown.

"No? Then will N-san at least let B borrow his eyes?" he went on pleading now, in that same strangers-blood-in-your-skin voice as his stroking - which had stopped in B's eagerness to hear Near's answer - picked up again, his fingers running now from Near's cheek to his collar bone, and up and down his neck as he continued to 'barter' with Near for his eyes. "I'll take such good care of N-san's eyes, I promise. Please, just for a short while? There so pretty, I must have them, your mirror-eyes."

Again, Near let out a whimper, his head vibrating slightly from side to side in a very shaken gesture of the negative as his answer.

B paused, watching him again. The boy was shaking from head to toe in fear of him, and Beyond couldn't help but feel that he liked watching it. His eyes - his lovely, glass-like black eyes that were so close to His eyes, were wide and bulging with fear. It was wonderful, the things he could paint in those onyx surfaces.

"When you die..." B began, his fingers trailing from side to side of Near's throat, dragging across rather than gliding, pressing down slightly, pressuring his wind pipe in a way that made the boy squirm delightfully, his eyes filling with yet more terror. "… then can B have N-san's eyes?" He paused his hands movements so that the back of his fingers pressed against the middle of Near's throat, causing the sheep child to work for each whimpering breath he was taking, his eyes shifting rapidly between Beyond's face and his other hand, which still rested on the corner of his eye.

"N-san won't need his eyes when he is dead." Beyond pointed out slowly, smiling at the boy as he did so. "And B promises that he will take the best care of N-san's eyes… He'll -"

"That's enough, B!" Linda's voice cut the second smartest child at Whammy's house off, her hand coming down on B's left arm, causing him to whirl around and face her. "You're terrifying Near, leave him alone!" she added. "So stop it! Leave him, B, and go. Now."

B's crimson-tinged eyes narrowed as he glared at the younger girl, but he let go of Near who sank to the floor in a shuddering heap after his encounter with the crazy genius. He took a step back, pulling his arm from Linda's grip.

"I don't want your eyes. They're dull!" He hissed, turning away and slouching off down the hall surprisingly fast for his stolen-walking style.

"Well I wasn't planning on giving them to you anyway!" Linda called after him.

((I WROTE THIS))

Linda turned to Near to talk to him, but..as before...he was gone.

"Quick on your feet, much?" She muttered, beginning her search for the sheep child again.

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When Linda found Near again, he was in the game room...playing chess with a blond boy.

Linda's breath hitched in her throat.

That was Mello.

The blonde haired, fiery tempered, chocolate addicted demon of Whammys House.

Now...Mello was a smart boy, of that there was never any doubt. However...Mello was also other things...Rash, idiotic, scheming, manipulative, a bully and EVIL were some of the milder words that came to mind when Linda thought of him. He was a sore loser.....but a brilliant mind. The best Whammys had to offer.

He was also Catholic...which never made sense to her, seeing as he was so mean.

Right behind Mello, as expected, was a red headed boy with a game boy in his hand, smashing the buttons so fast Linda had trouble seeing his fingers. He stood behind Mello, slouching against the wall, occasionally looking over the blonds shoulder to check his progress. He would then instantly return to playing his game.

Matt.

So, the instant Linda saw Near with Mello...She was determined to make sure Mello not bully him. As she approached the table they were at, she stopped and stared at the board.

It looked like...Near was winning.

She fell back into the rank of people admiring Near's talent, staring at the board in awe. Mello's face was screwed up in concentration...

...and he looked angry.

Linda pondered grabbing Near and running from the room as to avoid the riot that occurred every time Mello was angered, or without chocolate.

As Near moved one of his white pieces (Linda didn't know which), she saw Mello's face contort.

"Checkmate," Near said in his small voice.

The room was silent.

Time stood still...and for those precious, uncountable moments, Linda was sure everything would be alright.

Reality came crashing down hard as Mello placed his hands on either side of the small table and threw it to the side with an angry roar.

White and black glass chess pieces falling around the two boys, shattering as they hit the linolemn. Linda felt frozen as Mello advanced on Near, growling viciously.

"Who do you think you ARE?" he practically screamed at Near. "Do you think you're better than me??"

Near looked from Mello to the pieces on the floor. He moved to stand up, but Mello shoved him back into the chair.

"Don't you think you can just mess with me and not pay the-"

"MELLO!"

Linda almost looked around to see who had screamed the boys name, when it occured to her...only one person ever did.

Marching towards the blond boy...was Samantha Birthday, also known as Neko. Linda felt relief wash over her. If anyone had ever been able to control ANYONE....it was Neko. She was Linda's roommate and the scariest woman Linda knew.

While Neko chewed out Mello, Linda took this moment to unfreeze herself and grab Near's shirt sleeve and drag him off. As they ran down the hallway, she felt herself slightly overcome with awe.

Near had _beaten_ Mello.

_Near_ had beaten Mello.

"How did you do that?" Linda panted as they stopped running, reaching the classroom. Recess was almost over.

Near looked up at Linda, his piercing eyes examining her.

"I'm smarter than him," he said simply.

"About B," She began. "He's harmless...But he's frightening...Do you wanna talk about-"

"No," Near said in his soft voice.

The bell rang...and he walked inside the classroom.

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TO MY REVIEWERS....YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

zxBlack-rosexz: I'm glad you like Linda's MOM way of thinking...xD I do to!!!

Midnight Hikari: It IS cute, isn't it? ^o^

Black Butterfly13: Friend me on Gaia...I love random friend-ness! ^o^

Kanki Youji: I don't know how many kinds of Epic there _are_ out there...but you are made of AT LEAST the 17 I know of! ^o^

xXBeyondBirthdayXx: Seeing your review INSPIRED me to ask Kanki to write me a Beyond-kun scene. SHE IS NOT AN OC PEOPLE! WE WILL FIGHT FOR LINDA'S RIGHT TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS A MEMBER OF THE CAST OF DEATH NOTE!!!

CaeliaDanan: You like it? ^o^ AWESOME! I updated! Looky! ^o^

ActionFry: The Fluff is on it's way! ^o^ I loved writing the banter between L and Linda. She's like his mom. xDD


	3. The Reason it Rains

_**A/N:**_ This chapter was hard to write, because I find myself nearly incapable of writing anything TOO serious. xD It took a few days, and I uploaded it so early, because decided to update every 8 reviews, instead of every 10.

_**Dedications: **_ THIS ONE IS FOR:

ActionFry: You are ALWAYS my first review. It's SO awesome!!

Kanki Youji: You and your 17 different brands of epic!! ^o^ *happiness*

Alisha: You are an EXCELLENT WRITER! ^o^ Keep it up! ^o^ AND COME SEE ME!!!!! xD

_**Chapter Summary:**_ Linda helps Near get used to Whammy House and tells him about herself a bit. ^o^

_**Disclaimer:**_ I DO NOT OWN DEATH NOTE! *sob* WHY???? If I did...Linda and all her PWNGE would be in it!!! AND I'd share with Kanki and make a copy of Light I'm-a-gay....And then we could BOTH have one! ^o^ Linda would be with Near, B would not be dead and L would remember who Neko was. xDDD

Over the next two months, Near went from popular, to a social outcast. Most of the kids decided that Near had to be a pretty special kinda crazy himself if he could beat Mello like that.

And in the course of the next month, when the test came around to test who was the smartest and most likely to succeed L....Near came in fourth, Mello right behind him.

An eight year old...came in fourth.

Linda herself came in 31st, but that didn't matter to her. She could care less...She was much too busy with other things...Like keeping B away from Near.

When his 9th birthday rolled around, Linda had Neko help her make him a cake with the shape of an 'N' on it, done in a Gothic font...just like L's 'L' was.

He almost smiled at her for that.

None of them used their real names here...except for her. With everyone having an alias...she figured it might have been smarter, if she use her real name. Everyone assumed that was her alias: Linda.

She was proud of her name. In fourth grade, she had done some research on names and found that her name might be her favorite name on the planet.

In Spanish it meant "pretty", and in German it meant "soft and loving".

She smiled to herself, doodling on the corner of her math homework. Her mother had given her that name. She remembered little about her mother. Only that she was a nice woman, with lots of chocolate hair. Linda had inherited that from her.

During her time here, Neko, though not that much older than Linda herself, was like a surrogate mother. She helped Linda cook and clean, and also taught her a few different languages. Neko, as well as her brother B depending on his crazy level that day, was very fun to have in the house. Though she always suspected that the two consistently hid something from her.

And she didn't quite understand what KIND of crazy B was...but she knew he was nuts. She counted herself among the few that were not afraid of B, and only she and Neko dared stand up to him.

She assumed her eyes came from her father...the bright amber shade that they were was rather uncommon. Big, observant eyes....So what if B thought they were dull?

Linda had noticed several things that the Whammy's Children had in common. They all had some sort of phobia...some sort of habit...some sort of SOMETHING that made them unique and different from other children.

Everyone hear was obsessive about something. For her...it was knowing things. She liked to know how people thought, why they thought it...She also loved art. Drawing, painting, sculpting...and she was good at it. She had a talent for zeroing in on what a person feared most...But she wasn't quite sure of what she was scared of...

As she thought more about the addictions and obsessions that every child had...the more she realized that she really did like it at the Whammy's house...and Near would too, with time.

She had noticed Mello was addicted to chocolate...Matt to video games...Neko loved languages and cooking...math too...

She was used to those people...and those things. But Near...was more difficult to understand.

After two weeks, Near stopped eating in the cafeteria. L had said that he was to depressed to eat. Maybe being an orphan was finally getting to him...or maybe he just wasn't social....That's what Rodger had said.

Linda thought it was a combination...But decided that he needed to eat. She asked Neko, who obliged all to willingly, to help her make food for Near and sneak it to his room.

Near liked toys...That was another thing she pick up from hanging out with him.

Action figures and legos were his favorites, and sometimes she found card houses in his room when she brought him his meals. She loved to watch him make things...he loved to watch her draw things...they were good friends.

Sometimes, they would sit on the vast porch of the Whammy House, and stare at the large gates that "protected" them.

On one such evening, she noticed Near slipping into what appeared to be a depressive state...So she decided to break the silence.

"It looks like it's going to rain," she said.

"Hn," was all she got back. But she understood...Near didn't like the rain.

"Neko doesn't like the rain either," Linda chuckled. "She doesn't like water in general...it bothers her..I think she's afraid of it.."

More silence answered her.

"I don't like those gates," she said softly, still trying to spark conversation. "I feel like they're locking me in here..."

"That's what gates are for," Near said in his voice that seemed to sum everything up.

"I still don't like them," she said, placing her face in her hands and resting her elbows on her knee's.

"Doesn't matter if you like them or not...they're still going to be there," he said.

She looked up at him curiously. He never spoke that much.

"Everything okay?" She asked him in her sweet voice, the voice reserved especially for him.

He nodded stiffly.

"Fine."

Linda thought for a moment, listening to the wind blow around the house. The scent of the wind reminded her of her mom.

"Do you...ever miss your family, Near?"

"You know...when they first told me my mom was dead...I thought they were lying to me..." Linda said, watching the sun setting. "When they brought me here...I thought it was a joke..." She bit her lower lip. "And when my mom didn't come for me...I sat up for three nights...crying my seven year old eyes out. " She laughed a little, twiddling with her fingers.

Near merely stared at her blankly. She pressed on with her story, hoping it would help.

"I was so mad after that...I was mean to everyone...Even Mello, no...ESPECIALLY Mello..." She giggled. "I ...I felt really alone. But...then L started to be nice to me...and treat me like I was his friend...I felt better. I liked the feeling of having someone there for me. He told me some things about himself...things that he didn't tell many people...and it made me feel...better."

The wind was the only noise heard for a minute or two before Linda continued,

"The name L gave me when I got here...was Protector...But I didn't like it so much... I felt proud of my real name...and them forcing me to go under a false name wasn't fair. I told L I had a secret...and then I told him that I didn't like my name...He said that it was a suggestion...and I didn't have to use the name if I didn't want to. He asked me what my real name was....And I told him, 'My name is Linda'."

"And just by re-affirming who I was...just by letting someone, ANYONE in, and letting them know a bit about who I was...made me feel a little more accepted here..." Linda was now playing with the hem of her pink cotton shirt. "I just think that....if I hadn't said anything...L would've been sad...and I would've stayed bottled up..."

"Now..sometimes...I like to think that when it rains...it's my mom crying because she can't see me anymore," Linda said, feeling silly telling him this. "Or maybe she's crying because she knows how much I miss her...And how sad it makes me" Linda looked at the sky. As if on cue...a gentle rain started falling. "So...I like to think that if I don't cry about my mom being gone...It's like I'm letting her know that I'm okay now. I'm still sad she's gone...and I still miss her, but now that I'm older and I've thought about it...She didn't mean to leave me...She didn't want to..."

Near was still silent, but he no longer looked blank. He looked...like he wanted to be confused...but didn't know how to make the correct expression.

"But I don't think I would've liked it if they were trying for force answers from me like they are with you....I think...I like it better when people say things because they WANT to say it...you know?"

He nodded slowly, then shook his head, unsure.

"You can tell me anything, Near," she said, smiling. "When you feel like telling me something about yourself...go right ahead! I'm always listening!"

She folded her hands in her lap and smiled at him brightly.

Near blinked three times before softly saying,

"Nate..."

Then he stood up and walked away.

Linda blinked herself for a few moments, before realizing....

_He just told me...his real name...._

As Linda stood to go inside herself, she saw L standing in the door way. If he hadn't shuffled his feet, she wouldn't have noticed him at all.

"See, Linda-chan?" he said softly. "Something only you could do...." he took a few steps forward and ruffled her hair.

Linda jerked her head away from L and smiled slightly.

"Don't drag your feet when you walk," She said. "It'll scuff your shoes..." She looked at his bare feet. "In this case...your heels."

And she ran inside after Near.


End file.
